Project Description

The project brief from the client was very simple and powerful; to have a fluid volume of office and residence that is true in place, time and texture. The house is located at the heart of the city in a busy commercial/residential area on a 120′ by 60′ plot with a 60′ wide frontal road that is noisy throughout the day. The volume has been developed mainly from its pragmatic functional request to host the office at the ground level and the residence at upper levels with minimal connection between the two. The client also hinted that the office and the residence must function such that one is invisible to the other. The single largest challenge then, was to achieve a building that would continue to maintain its fluidity of volumes while being static in functional levels.The fluid form is derived from the concept of ‘concrete carving’, that is performance-driven and is rooted to its time and place, ensuring a modern insertion into the typically poor building stock of its surrounding environment. The usage of concrete in a new language, without losing its inane nature and texture brings about the freshness that is non-existent in the architectural practice that prevails in the city now. The carved forms are rounded at the edges and are independent of each other, thereby enabling the upper part to either open-out or close-in as a response to the performance measures such as daylight, sun exposure and noise. The 2 storey high semi internal courtyard with bamboo, ferns and many tropical plants, ensures a filtered entry of light and air into the centrally located large living room of the house. The form also provides efficient passive ventilation drawing the prevailing south west breeze through the house. The homogenous appearance of the house allows the fluid forms to be emphasized with the play of light and shadow continually moving along the path of the sun.